Shakuntala Devi

Shakuntala Devi was one of the Great Indian Writer and Mathematical Genius popularly known as the “Human Computer”. Born into a penurious family in southern India, she started displaying her skills at her early age. Her father recognized her talent and took her on road shows to displace her ability at calculation. Her impressive knowledge to perform the most complicated mathematical calculations without any training, eventually helped her to climb heights in her life.


Shakuntala Devi was born in Bengaluru on 4th November 1929 to a traditional Kannada Brahmin family. Her father was a traveling magician. Her family was very poor and her father hardly made enough to make ends meet. She was not able to receive a formal education because of her family situation.

Soon with her amazing ability she started appearing at universities in Southern India. She exhibited her skills in the University of Mysore when she was just six years old. Soon with her extraordinary talent she also earned her a place in the 1982 edition of ‘The Guinness Book of World Records’ plus she was also a well-known author of children’s books.

With time she become an internationally known personality. She moved to London with her father in 1944. She also travelled worldwide and showcased her skills in several countries including the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Sri Lanka, Spain, Mauritius, Indonesia, Italy, Canada, Russia, France and Malaysia.

She started the Shakuntala Devi Education Foundation Public Trust insight to provide quality education to children from poor background. She was awarded the title of the “Most Distinguished Woman of the Year” in 1969 by the University of Philippines. She has also received the “Ramanujan Mathematical Genius” Award in 1988.  She dies on 21st April 2013 due to the respiratory problem.

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